1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to gaming and observation of animals. In particular, it relates to a decoy mechanism which emulates life like movements of wild turkey. The invention comprises a device which mimics the movement of tail feathers of a live turkey from a prone or generally horizontal configuration to an upright or generally vertical configuration.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Turkey decoys have been produced in many forms and fall primarily under two categories: static decoys and motion decoys. The primary intent of both types of decoys is to attract a live turkey for observation or hunting purposes.
Stationary or static decoys represent the general shape, size, color and feather pattern of a live turkey. These decoys are placed in an open area and used to attract a wild turkey, which may be passing by. These decoys are very basic and rely on the ability of a passing turkey to recognize the shape as a fellow turkey.
The second category employs motion to imitate the movements of a live turkey. The movements of the decoy are used to catch the attention of a passing turkey. The motions of the decoys are usually an attempt to mimic either one or more motions of a live turkey. The movement of these decoys is sometimes as simple as placing a static decoy on a pivot point which allows the wind to move the decoy side to side, or rock back and forth. The wind induced motion decoy is one of the simplest and most popular. U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,322 shows an example of wind-induced movements of a turkey decoy. The motion of the wind induced motion decoys is highly unpredictable and erratic.
The motion of some decoys can be initiated by an operator with a manual pull string, push rod or electrical motor. The manual activation capability gives the operator the advantage of triggering the decoy's movement at an opportune time rather than relying on the randomness of the wind. Some motion decoys use a mechanical device that produces random movement of the decoy. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,356. The use of random movement does not consistently give a level of certainty needed to attract a live turkey. The movement may occur when the live turkey is out of sight or they may occur too often when a turkey is close and frighten the turkey away.
During the mating season the wild male turkey will display its tail feathers by spreading them into a semi-circular fan shape as part of the mating strut. The tail feathers begin in a prone or close to horizontal position behind the bird and then rise vertically while simultaneously spreading into a fan shape. This action is done to demonstrate the dominance of the male turkey and thus convince a female to mate with him. The female turkey is attracted to the sight of the male turkeys fantail. Because of their competitive nature it has also been observed that male turkeys will also be attracted to the fan tail display. The males will compete for a hen by trying to out strut their fellow turkeys and/or by sparing. The sight of a strutting male will excite and irritate a fellow male turkey. The male turkey then will engage the competitor and attempt to drive them off or try to out strut them. If a male turkey has already gathered a group of females it is very difficult to draw him away from their company. The sight of a competing male turkey that may steal his mates is one of the few things that will pull him away from his group of females.
The present invention mimics in detail the fanning motion of a live male turkeys tail. This motion will take the tail feathers from the reclined (or horizontal), natural position of the tail to an upright or vertical position. The movement of the present invention can be controlled fully throughout the entire motion of the device. This means that the tail can be opened to any given point of the fanning process. This feature will allow the operator to give the decoy a realistic movement and less dominant appearance when necessary.
The present invention provides a simple and effective way to improve upon existing static decoys by adding apparent motion. This device can be positioned behind a stationary decoy to give it the advantages of a motion style decoy as well as the appearance of a strutting male turkey. The drawings constitute a part of this application and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various features thereof.